Abu Dhabi GP: Disappointing final qualifying for Williams

By Andrew Hooper
November 25 2018

The results of qualifying for the 2018 Abu Dhabi GP did not produce any surprise reults for the Williams Martini team with their drivers finishing in a disappointing 19th and 20th. Sergey Sirotkin would finish ahead of his team-mate Lance Stroll but for the pair it was a tough time with both drivers coming away very frustrated with how the session turned out. Now as for Sundays race, a race that will be the last at Williams for both drivers, it will be more of the same based on the lack of pace in the sessions leading up to the race.

Williams
Martini Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying

Team Summary:
After the first runs it would be Vettel quickest, 1m:39.946, followed by
Raikkonen, Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc, Ocon, Perez, Gasly, Hartley and
Ericsson tenth. All the times had been set on the hypersoft tyre. Ricciardo
and Verstappen would go fourth and fifth followed by Bottas and Grosjean.
Hulkenberg and Sainz were now seventh and ninth. Leclerc had dropped to
tenth and the Williams drivers were now 19th and 20th and with four minutes
remaining both were back in their pits. The top nine cars would all remain
in the pits but the rest of the field were all back out for their second
runs.

Bottas was now second and Hamilton third with Raikkonen now fourth. Ocon
would move into fourth and Leclerc seventh. After their second runs both
Williams drivers would remain 19th and 20th and out of qualifying. The top
ten was Vettel, Bottas, Hamilton, Ocon, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Leclerc,
Verstappen, Perez and Hulkenberg tenth.

The second period of qualifying would see Hamilton fastest, 1m:35.693
followed by Verstappen, Vettel, Bottas, Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Grosjean,
Raikkonen, Ocon and Ricciardo in tenth. Several drivers had set their
quickest times running on the ultrasoft tyre including Hamilton and Vettel.
The final period of qualifying would see Hamilton quickest from Bottas,
Vettel, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Grosjean, Leclerc, Ocon and
Hulkenberg in tenth. For the Williams team Sunday's race is again going to
be a difficult time with both drivers seriously lacking pace to produce a
result.

Lance Stroll:
Lance's first lap time was a 1m:40.164 to see him ninth also using the
hypersoft tyre. Lance would also pit after a three lap run. Lance would also
drop down the order as more drivers set times dropping to 14th. This would
become 20th and would return for a second run again on new hypersoft tyres.
Lance would set a 1m:38.682 to be 19th. This would become 20th and he was
out of qualifying.

Sergey Sirotkin:
Sergey's first lap would see him set a 1m:39,691 to currently be seventh,
using the hypersoft tyre. He would drop to ninth and would pit after a short
three lap run. As others went quicker Sergey would drop to 12th. He would
eventually find himself in 19th one place ahead of his team-mate. Sergey
would return on another set of new hypersoft tyres. His flying lap would see
a better sector one and two. He would set a 1m:38.635 to be 18th. He would
drop to 19th and was out of qualifying..

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